I suppose I react strongly to this because if people truly believe that soil plays no role in winemaking, then it is easy to argue there is no reason to have good, clean soil and it is a slippery slope from that point to all sorts of nastiness.

I may not like all of the consequences of his influence, but as Randall Graham pointed out, his influence on winemaking is massive, and add to that, the way wines are sold down the supply chain, and how far the consumers have been informed on wine regions, grape varieties, wineries, and personalities.